Organic guide to Ireland - out now!

The organic guide to Ireland has just become available. Well worth buying, the book is a directory with some interesting articles about issues in organics as well as info on state and other supports.

Declaration of interest: I wrote a couple of the bits, so I can't claim to be neutral!

Also, check out their site as an excellent directory: boom!

And you can buy the guide here: spend!

Marella (from Omagh hostel) did a great job on this - the snaps looks great too!

Blessed are the cheesemakers: World Cheese Awards come to Ireland

(pictured: Jeffa Gill of Durrus cheese)

For the first time in its 20 year history, the World Cheese Awards will be held in Ireland. 2500 cheeses will enter, in 62 categories, some of which are further subdivided.

To celebrate the moment, here's a close up on three Irish cheeses, one organic, one raw and one goats...

Sometimes it can be hard to realise that you are in the middle of a vibrant, flourishing period in time. It can be hard to see, as the saying goes, the wood from the trees. But make no mistake, this is where we are, right now, in the world of Irish artisan cheese production.

Consider this: French culinary students now come to Ireland to learn how to make cheese. Irish artisan cheeses recently made the front cover of Saveur. Irish artisan cheeses seem to win more and more of the awards that count. And Irish artisan cheeses sell in all the right places all over the world � Neal�s Yard in London, Murray�s in New York and the closest farmers� market and deli to your house.

With recent announcements of additional milk quota for both conventional and organic dairy farmers, there is now an opportunity for some to consider joining the burgeoning band of Irish cheesemakers.

And with the World Cheese Awards leaving the UK for the first time in 20 years, and deciding upon Ireland, the spotlight will be on this island�s producers.

There are many exemplars of the craft out there, including raw, organic and goat�s milk cheeses. Perhaps the most iconic of Ireland�s raw milk cheeses is Jeffa Gill�s Durrus.

This is one of the cheeses the Slow Food movement has taken under it wing, as what are called presidia cheeses. Durrus, along with Drumlin, Desmond Raw, Cooleeney Raw, Mount Callan, Dilliskus, Bellingham Blue and St Gall make up the Slow Food presidia raw milk cheeses.

Jeffa Gill started producing cheese in 1979 on the far south west coast of Ireland, near the town of Durrus itself in west Cork. She still makes her deep-flavoured, coral-coloured, semi-soft, rind washed cheese on the farm.

Describing cheesemaking as �a lifetime commitment that�s 50% craft, 50% science� Jeff makes 26 tonnes of cheese a year. She uses the milk of local suppliers, including Corny Buckley. Jeffa suggest that �We�re still technically quite small, and have concentrated on the niche market. Our cheese is sold through delis primarily, and is distributed by good wholesale customers, such as Sheridans, Pallas, Horgans, Glenelly and the Traditional Cheese Company. We do also export to the UK through Neil�s Yard, and a tiny bit goes to the US�

A relative new kid on the artisan cheese block, but one whose stock is rising at a stratospheric rate, is Ralph Haslam�s organic Mossfield cheese. In an amazing short few years, Ralph has achieved the highest accolades and some significant sales and profile. His cheeses were watched by hundreds of millions as they surrounded the Ryder Cup in 2006; Bruce Springsteen�s cook bought all that Ecologic Dundrum, Dublin could get for him when the boss came here a few months back.

Mossfield wins awards, it seems, every few months. A gold medallist at the World Cheese Awards in 2005, recently, his outstanding mature Gouda also received three gold stars in the Great Taste Awards. It also was selected as best Irish Speciality Product, making it into the last 18 out of 4755 overall entrants. This made it the joint highest ranking cheese in the entire competition.

Mossfield mature Gouda is a very distinct cheese, which makes describing it an act of constant contradiction: it has sweetness, strength and gentleness; it is speckled with crystals and crumbly like a parmesan, but it is also creamy.

�I put it all down to what the cows are being fed - top quality Irish grass�, the reassuringly down to earth Offaly man claims. Farming since the early 1970s, I asked Ralph if the sward and indeed the farm differs in any way since converting to organic in 2001.

�Oh yea, certainly it does. It�s a different sward really, there is a lot more herbs and clovers in it. You�d also know by the wildlife, the different types of butterflies and birds. We can hear grasshoppers on the farm now. I remember hearing them from my youth, and now they seem to have returned�.

Ralph farms 350 acres near Birr in Offaly, including rented land. Amazingly, he has only been making his gouda style cheeses - plain, mature plain, basic and garlic, cumin seed and Mediterranean herb - since 2004. He produces 300 kg per week from a mixed herd of 85 Rotbunt and British Freisen cows. Ralph tells me that �Rotbunt was historically an old Irish moiled cow, originally from west Cork, which was brought to Germany by Irish monks�. �It�s a dual purpose breed, with high quality butterfat and protein � and its hardy� according to Haslam.

He will soon be moving the production unit on the farm itself, will be making ice creams and sorbets, and will get his biodigester fully operational.

Irish goat and sheep�s milk cheeses are flying the flag brilliantly too: take the Clare pair: Siobhan�s Garvey�s St. Tola�s and Sean Fitzgerald�s Cratloe Hills.

Along with these 21st Century arrivals, there are superlative stalwarts out there. A classic is Ardsallagh, make on a 35 acre farm in Carrigtwohill near Cork city.

Jane and Gerard Murphy carry 420 mixed breed goats. They carried Saanen initially, but have introduced Anglo-Nubian and Alpines for the high butterfat and protein content.

Jane�s background was as a food analyst for Marks and Spencers in London, and her husband was in IT. 30 years later, they are happy, contented goat�s cheesemakers in south west Ireland. �It all started when we lived in Carlow in 1978. A travelling life assurance salesman, back in the days when you could do that sort of thing, spotted that both kids my children had eczema. He said you have to give them goat�s milk. To get rid of him, I said that�s a good idea. He came back a short while later with a goat! He told me that she�s in kid, and to give the milk she produces to your children, and it will clear up the eczema. It did�

Previously �I would have only seen goats in the zoo�, she tells me. And now, they process 5-6000 litre of goat�s milk, from their own and another herd. 1/3 goes to milk 2/3 into cheese goes to cheese. When indoors, they get through up to five tonnes of feed each week, mostly hayledge, but also some cereal, and a special treat � local farmer John McGrath�s beet.

The delectable chesses are sold at markets, delis and in selected Dunnes and Tescos nationwide. From soft to coated to hard, they retain the sweetness of the beet they eat. This has helped Ardsallagh win Gold medals, as it did at the World Cheese Awards in 2005.

Will any of these win in their categories at the World Cheese Awards this time around? Undoubtedly they should. Either ways, for their both their commitment and their quality, its worth quoting Jesus � the Life of Brian version - blessed are the cheesemakers.

Interview with Bob Farrand, Guild of Fine Food:

�We chose Ireland because it was the logical country in which to site the first WCA outside the UK. Ireland is obviously handy from a language perspective, but it is also a great cheese making nation that sells a lot of cheese to the Brits.� So says Bob Farrand, National Director of the Guild of Fine Food, which organise the event.

These awards will be part of Bord Bia�s retail and trade event in the RDS � SHOP, which will be held at the end of this month in the RDS. Judging will be on the 29th, while the Cheeses of the awards will be showcased for the three days of the SHOP event.

Bob was very complementary of Bord Bia in their initiative: �And It has to be said that Bord Bia grabbed the opportunity with both hands � they have been enormously supportive�

According to Bob: �Winning in the WCA is the highest accolade in world cheese because the cheese maker is competing on a genuine world stage� Gold is an achievement that, when used properly, will drive sales for winning cheese in a quite remarkable fashion.�

He gives a few examples: �the winner in 1999 was a little known aged Dutch Gouda called Kolluma that had never previously been tasted outside its home country. After winning the Supreme Champion, it changed its name to Old Dutch Master and is now sold worldwide in massive quantities. The Ossau Iraty that took Supreme in 2006 is now exported to the States as well as the UK and the US.�

I asked Bob about the judging. �This year�s judges form a mix of professional graders from throughout Europe and beyond. We need experts on each cheese type � as well as key buyers from supermarkets, delis, food halls and other specialist stores, and finally knowledgeable food writers and chefs.�

Bob elaborated on the judging: �Judges are looking for perfect cheeses so each entry starts with a maximum 25 points - gold. Points are deducted based on faults identified. These faults are passed onto the producer as the awards are not just about acknowledging the best but helping the �not so good� to improve.

�At the first level of judging, it is not first past the post � if they find three perfect bries, they may award three golds. It is only when we move onto stages two and three of the judging that it becomes a competition, when we seek out the best cheddar, best Irish cheese or British, French and so on. Until we end up with the top dozen or so in the world from which we ultimately identify the World Champion.�

I asked Bob about the number of food award winners. I suggested that in the Olympics, if you get gold, you are the one and only winner, but in many food awards, gold as a category can seem misleading.

�Yes, we always take the criticism on the chin that there are too many food awards and too many Gold medals flying around�. However, he pointed out that there �are categories in the Olympics - 100m, high jump, beach volleyball and so on - just as we have classes in the WCA�.

This is true to an extent, but that�s like comparing all sports imaginable with�cheese. As opposed to �all foods�. Nonetheless, this is the big one for cheeses � the big cheese if you will � and the cheeses featured above are real contenders.

Crab Apples

Organic Crab Apples Have Arrived

Though the Fall season officially begins on Monday, September 22, we�re already feeling a bit of crispness in the air. Hand-picked from the Campbell Orchards in Tieton Washington, our fresh crop of Organic Crab Apples are a perfect introduction to Autumn.

These little red beauties are particularly sweet-tart; they�re not your typical back yard crab apple. Great for garnishes, smoothies, jellies and such, or as a nice little gift for someone�s desk.

It's a Potato Recipe!

Each week Chefs in the Co-op Deli cook up approximately 150 pounds of organic potatoes. That�s a lot of spuds folks, so we know you must like (love!) them. One of the all time potato-winning recipes that the Deli prepares is People's Breakfast Potatoes. Can�t make it in to People�s because you�re a late riser? No problem, we love to share. Now you can make these tasty golden nuggets, with their hidden fluffy middles, at home. Enjoy.

People�s Breakfast Potatoes

Serves 6 � 8

3 pounds red potatoes, diced

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 cup yellow onions, diced

4 teaspoons fresh rosemary, chopped fine

3/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt

Preheat oven to 450�. Place diced potatoes in a pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil, then drain. Place potatoes on a baking sheet, add the oil and mix thoroughly. Place in the oven and bake until golden brown, stirring every 10 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Bake for 5 minutes more.

A favorite food for many, potatoes contain a number of important vitamins and minerals. A medium sized potato, with the skin on, provides about 45% of the Daily Value (DV) of vitamin C, 18% DV of potassium, 10% DV of vitamin B6 and trace amounts of thiamin, riboflavin, folate, niacin, magnesium, phosphorus, iron, and zinc. Potatoes also contain an assortment of phytochemicals, such as carotenoids and polyphenols. And while the skin of the potato does contain approximately half of the total dietary fiber, more than 50% of the nutrients are found within the potato itself. The cooking method used can significantly impact the nutrient availability of the potato.

Constructing an ethical life around pleasure: the best nosh for NOW (national organic week)

Drum roll in the mind please...................

5: Bioynamic Agricultural Association of Ireland event: Talk by Wendy Cooke, Cookery Demo by the "Tipperary Chefs" and Dinner Watergarden, Thomastown, Co Kilkenny. 13th September 4-8pm Tickets �50 Bookings Phone (056) 7754214
4: Omega Beef direct event: at Dungarvan farmers' market: a veritable feast, with la Touche veg, Jurgan's coffee, Joe's beef. Free ( i.e. the bbq bit is free, market will still be a market!)
3: Nenagh Community Harvest Feast event: great food, great place, great people, great price. For more, see here
2: Feelgood Hampers Event: organic wine tasting; organic antipasti; organic, macrobiotic, vegan, wheat free and sugar free cookery demonstrations; a three course meal; entertainment and a chance to win a Feelgood Organic Hamper. At Healthy Living, Athy Friday 19th of September at 7pm. ll for 25 quid.
1:Has to be the Leitrim Harvest Feast. A single event with 39 parts. Many free. From boxty competitions to raw cookery demos. Hard to beat really!

Special mention:
Erin Borkovich speaking in Dublin on the 20th
15th 21st September Simply Organic will distribute free organic fruit to local hospitals and schools Dublin area Greg@simplyorganic.ie

Great Taste Awards

Below is an article on Irish winners at the Great Taste Awards. Last night, it was announced that Mossfield cheese won best Irish speciality product: a great honour, one of the top 14 awards out of almost 4800.

See Thursday 18th's Examiner for an article of mine featuring Mossfield and other great Irish farmehouse cheeses.

(Pic accross: Fingal Ferguson of Gubbeen, a 3 star winner at Great Taste)

They have been called the Oscars of food, and, perhaps this time of year the Olympics of food too. The Great Taste Awards in London feature the most critically acclaimed of foods and drinks.

4753 entered this year, up a couple of hundred from last year, but all a far cry from the 220 who entered when the competition started 15 years ago. This year, just over 1150 one star awards, for what the organisers call general excellence in taste, texture and flavour. So even to get that is an achievement. Better again are the two and three star categories: 220 received two stars, while just 72 got the highly prized three gold stars.

The Great Taste Awards are organised by the UK�s Guild of Fine Food. Every entry is blind tasted by at least three teams of experts. All of the judges� comments are made available to producers, to help with product improvements.

There are 36 classes of food and drink, but even within this, these classes are further sub divided into categories: so, for example, eight sub categories cover the products in the chutneys, pickles and marmalades section.

While it is primarily the UK�s speciality and artisan food sector that enters, Irish food companies seeking out UK markets, as well as what is considered to be a genuine, independent quality mark of recognition, often enter.

The awards can generate increased revenue through the branding the logo provides, as well as publicity the competition itself achieves:

Last year�s Supreme Champion winner was a free-range pork pie from Walter Smith�s butchers in Birmingham. Before Walter Smith�s won the Supreme Champion award, pork pies made up less than 1% of their sales but they now represent over 10% and their pies are now sold through Selfridges.

Some Irish products did especially well this year. In total, 141 products from Irish food companies won medals, with 14 winning three gold stars: these 14 products (see box) are entered into the supreme finals, the winner of which will be announced on the 8th September.

There are some exceptional areas of expertise, and some Michael Phelps-style hovering up of medals by particular companies.

Various sweets, pork products (especially bacon, hams, black puddings) cheese and tea/coffee seemed to score best for Ireland, displaying both the old and new in Irish food and drink business very well.

Companies like Java Republic, Bewleys, Lir Chocolates, Green Pastures (Cheese makers from Donegal) scooped multi awards.

Aptly enough, three of the five brown bread medal winners were Irish. While this might seem par for the course, there were no Irish winners in the brown bread category last year. This year, not only did Irish brown breads win most medals, the top two, receiving two gold stars each, were Irish.

�There was a tasting in Belfast this year� according to Pascal Gillard, one half of the two person Jinny�s bakery from Drumshanbo in Leitrim. �With a product so dependent on being consumed fresh, that probably helped a lot. Driving for a few hours to Belfast is far better than trying to fly scones to London� he continues.

Pascal and Sinead Gillard together run Jinny�s bakery. According to Sinead, "I made brown bread for our family business McGuire's Cottages. The reaction from our Irish and foreign visitors was always very positive. My best friend convinced me to try selling to local shops in Drumshanbo and that was the start of our bakery business. The response from local people was so positive that I decided to try another few shops."

From a micro business start, they now supply over 30 outlets in the counties of the north west. The couple make brown bread, including a sugar free version, carrot cake, scones and Christmas pudding.

According to Pascal, �We�re delighted with the 2 stars. There were very few 2 stars awarded to bakeries and only one other brown bread received this accolade. Our produce was tasted 24-48 hours after it was baked so we were very pleased to get the 2 stars.�

Another winning combination came from the En-Place and greatfood.ie partnership. Together they won three awards � their Wild Cranberry Apple and their Walnut & Fig Chutney won single stars, while their Hot Red Pepper Relish won two stars.

This combo does seem to be a match made in heaven. Monaghan�s En-Place specialise in reductions, herb oils, dressings, chutneys and savoury marmalades. Last year�s En-Place partnered with Castle Leslie to produce a balsamic reduction with sherry and fig which was awarded best Irish Speciality, and which indeed made it into the last three, out of 4500, for the supreme winner.

Greatfood.ie is an amazing food website success story. Anne Kennedy from greatfood told me �When I started Greatfood.ie, it was meant to be a small site offering information on Irish food and recipes. But I got so involved in it, I thought - why shouldn't I be more ambitious - and now just over two years later it's the largest food website in Ireland and is the food partner for Ireland.com.�

In fact, if you type food into google.ie, greatfood.ie is the first website that pops up.

Building upon the success of the site, there is now also a retail dimension (greatfood2buy.com) and a range of products, including the now award winning hot pepper relish.

�We're very proud that we're probably the first Irish media partnering an artisan producer, with an award-winning range of food!�

The site is going from strength to strength: �In the next month we'll be launching our cooking TV channel so readers can see us and our guests cooking in our new Mopalpa and Gorenja Test Kitchen.� Considering their humble beginnings, with as Anne put it, �no resources, just passion���these awards are an encouragement for us, for small producers and for anyone who is starting something new against the odds.�

Along with the one and two star winners, there was also an array of three star winners from Ireland.

Among these is Butler�s Pantry. Considered pioneers in the fresh, hand prepared, seasonal �food to go� end of the market, they began in Mount Merrion Avenue, Blackrock, Dublin, in 1987. From this one shop start, they now have eight stores in Dublin and Wicklow, with a turnover of e4.5 million, and 20% year on year growth.

All for their foods, including their 3 gold star lamb tagine, are cooked by their team of chefs in their own kitchens in Bray, under the guidance of Executive Chef Niall Hill.

Niall sources his lamb, indeed all of their meat, from master butcher Thomas Kinsella in Enniscorthy.

Traditionally lamb tagine is finished with preserved lemon. Niall uses fresh lemon, dried apricots along with his own blend of spices. This resulted in what the judges considered a faultless tagine.

Another three star winner was the Gubbeen ham. The Ferguson�s Gubbeen food business scooped four awards in total, with the ham receiving the top accolade.

The 250 acre farm �of rock and bog� according to Giana Ferguson, in west Cork, is itself a fantastically integrated, holistic enterprise. Tom and Giana take care of the cows and cheese, son Fingal the pigs, ham and bacon, and daughter Clovisse the herb garden.

In a way, every product and person on the farm contributed to the 3 stars. The pigs behind the 3 star ham are fed the whey, which is a by product of the on-farm cheese making � and the cheese is made from their own cow�s milk. Herbs from the garden are used in the smokehouse and in the brines.

Fingal Ferguson goes to a lot of trouble to get the ham just right. Fingal�s trainings in France shines through in the brine his ham spends a week in. This brine, a delicate adaptation of a recipe from charcutier Jane Grigson, includes a whole bottle of white wine, a bouquet Garnis (rosemary, thyme and bay) as well as pepper and juniper.

More and more products are coming on line: with great foresight, resourcefulness and ingenuity, their fine meat products - burger, sausage, salami, pepperoni, pepperami and chistorra - keep being expanding upon. The pepperami has even been known to end up in some west Cork school lunchboxes these days.

Fingal uses his trips to regional farmers� markets (Scull, Skibbereen, Kinsale and Bantry) to also deliver to delis. His saddleback, tamworth and duboc animals get not only great whey, but some excellent leftovers from regional food businesses Fingal deals with, including top drawer olives and pesto from the likes of the Real Olive Company. Lucky swines!

The south west also earned a three star rating for one of Hodgins sausages� black puddings. This new black pudding has been developed from a gluten free pudding the Mitchelstown company also carry. �We developed the recipe in conjunction with Spice O' Life in Dunmanway. Our pork comes from Dawn Pork and Bacon in Waterford fresh every morning� according to Collette Lambe of the company.

The performance of Irish food and drink companies augers well for the Irish quality food scene. There are definite areas of expertise emerging, and some incredibly dedicated food producers flying the flag for this island nation.

Irish 3 star winners:

�ine�s Chocolates Caramel Fudge Sauce
Gubbeen Farmhouse Products Ltd Ham, unsmoked
Clonakilty Black Pudding Company Oak Smoked Rasher
Curraghchase Free Range Pork Free-range (Rare breed) Streaky Bacon
En-Place Foods Balsamic & Apple Reduction
Mossfield Organic Farm Organic Mature Gouda-style Cheese, 9 months+
Oliver Carty Organic Loin of Bacon
Avoca Lemon Curd, Mushroom Soup
The Butler's Pantry Lamb Tagine
Java Republic Ltd FS Blue Earth Organic Fairtrade, Bluebird and Houseblend Espressos
Hodgins Sausages Mitchelstown Foods Black Pudding

organic milk quota freed up: reactions

It has been a long time coming, but the granting of additional milk quota to organic dairy farmers has been welcomed by all involved in the sector.

On the 12th August, Minister of State Sargent announced that an additional 45,000 litres would be available to individual producers, which could facilitate the release of 750,000 more litres in the current milk quota year.

This has been facilitated by a 2% increase in the national quota as and from 1st April of this year.

Pat Mulrooney is the current chair of the newly formed Irish Organic Milk Producers Company.

Pat welcomed the move: �It will mean that the 20 quota starved farmers we have opportunity to play catch up�

Pat is also convinced that the formation of the new company in April was instrumental in achieving the increased quota:

�Since the company was formed, we�ve made our case far better� according to Pat. �There is no doubt about it. All of our efforts were with department previously. He points out that the company canvassed minister Sargent and the Taoiseach, as well as giving �oral and written presentations, highlighting our needs and entitlements�.

Organic dairy farmers have been asking for this of many years now. They have been hampered, in growth terms, for most of this decade by the quota regime. In early 2006, James Mulhall argued that he could actually operate at 450,000 litres, nearly twice his current 240,000 litre quota.

Another organic dairy farmer, Fintan Rice, told me this week that he will have no problem filling his new quota: Fintan has a quota of 227,000 and could easily hit 350,000 on the 40 hectares of his farm that is in permanent grassland.

Pat Mulrooney agrees �it�ll be adequate for this year. The availability of organic cows means that it�s fine for now - but we�ll be ready for more soon.�

There is one proviso, however. It is not the case that every organic dairy farmer is automatically entitled to 45,000 liitres. There was a top up scheme available upon entry into organics, so if a farmer availed of this then, this total will be taken from the 45,000 litres.

As an example: Fintan Rice received 3000 gallons when he joined up, which is just over 11,000 litres. So he can only apply for about c.33-34,000 litres.

Glenisk, who currently receive about 5 million litres of milk from the island of Ireland (50% of which comes from the republic) was understandably delighted. Vincent Cleary, MD of Glenisk: �This should lead to many smaller but progressive dairy farmers viewing organics as a viable option in the near future. From our perspective at Glenisk, it will lead to continued growth and development � enabling us to increase our existing portfolio of products and to access new markets.�

Farmers will now be able to consider becoming food businesses themselves. At present, 3-400,000 litres of organic milk produced in the republic is used for this function and according to Pat, dairy farmers will now also be able to consider various options.

Present examples include Kate Carmody in Kerry, IOFGA chair, with her Beal cheeses and the Kelly�s in Westmeath, who produce the Moonshine brand of soft cheese, yoghurts and smoothies.

IOFGA, the largest certification body in Ireland, agree that the move will �also allow for the expansion of the organic artisan food sector�.

Over the years, there were action plans, talk shops, statements, surveys upon surveys, and little real change for the organic sector. The market has been strong, at home and abroad, but the basic raw material, organic milk, has been in short supply.

An increase in quota availability was flagged in this column last April as being the highlight in this year�s 64 part Organic Action Plan. Its delivery was earmarked as being medium term, or 1-3 years. Getting this ahead of time is refreshing to say the least.

The minister responsible, Trevor Sargent, is understandably chuffed, claiming to be �pleased that we are able to deliver on this so soon."

So he should be.

To apply, contact the department of Agriculture�s milk policy division. Forms can be downloaded from the department�s website

Heirloom Tomatoes

An heirloom tomato is an open-pollinated (non-hybrid) cultivar of tomato. And when it comes to taste, these flavorful, textured toms take the winning prize when compared to other �more hardy� varieties of tomato.

Summer won�t last forever�darn it�so now�s the time to enjoy a delicious, most extraordinary fruit of the vine. No need for bread to cover them in a sandwich, we suggest washing your heirloom tomato, closing your eyes, and taking a slow bite of rich, slightly sweet, goodness. We promise, you�re in for a treat.

Oh, and because we know you care about things like this, the Co-op�s heirloom tomatoes are locally grown!

Original Store Front

This is a photo of the original building (house!) that People's opened in. At the time, 1971, we were a worker-owned collective and our name was People's Food Store. This property was located one block west of our current location, on Voltaire Street; it has since been demolished. If you shopped with us in our early days, you'll probably remember us affectionately known as simply "the food store".

An Apple a Day

As summer winds down local apple orchards are brimming with crunchy-sweet appley goodness. New crop apples at People�s include:

Gala � Crisp, striped red color and a snappy sweet flavor.

Red Delicious � Medium crisp, juicy, mildly sweet.

Gold Delicious - Medium crisp, juicy, sweet.

McIntosh - Crisp, juicy, tart, highly aromatic.

While there are many foods that aid in a healthy diet, apples are certainly a fruit that you�ll want to add to your shopping list. Apples are portable making them great for snacking on the go, low in calories, and a natural mouth freshener! As a source of soluble fiber, apples may help to prevent cholesterol buildup in the lining of blood vessel walls, thus reducing the incident of atherosclerosis and heart disease. Additionally, the insoluble fiber in apples provides bulk in the intestinal tract�holding water to cleanse and move food efficiently through the digestive system.
Forget the peeler; it�s best to apples with the skin on as nearly half of the vitamin C in an apple is just beneath the skin. Eating your apple unpeeled also increases your intake of insoluble fiber.